Trying to Help
by CrazyOnDisplay
Summary: She was only trying to help him....or were her intentions different when she saved him from the hordes of females? Hitsugaya/Rukia. Rated M for later.


**A/N: Okay so this is my first ficlet here, and it's probably not as good as all the others out there, but you know I thought I would try it out. Anywho, I adore the Hitsugaya/Rukia pairing really much, and was quite troubled to see very few (although the very few that ARE out there are absolutely fantastic!), so I thought I would add one for myself :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this wonderous anime!**

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The human world was so different. It was almost alien-like. Humans were just too odd. They ate different, they talked different, they acted different, heck they even looked and smelt different. It was exasperating, and was beginning to drive him to the edge. He didn't understand what the fuss was about, why it was so 'special'. In his opinion, it was anything but special.

Only 10 days here and he could take the personality of everyone in the world and sum it up in a couple of short paragraphs. He had proof, he did it for his school assignment.

It was almost aggravating. He heard of people starving themselves to become thin; women (and some men) throwing their bodies away just to gain money; People who were selfish and rich, that would rather be caught dead then walking along the streets of the poor; And the poor who would beg just to stay alive. He new he was stretching his opinion quite a bit, that these problems graced his world as well. Actually it was worse. Rukongai was a dirty place, where people were constantly starving, killing, dying. So why was he so against the living world? Maybe it was because he was expecting more, hoping it would be...better.

But it was, he knew it, but lately his mind has been jumbled. His thoughts going from Espadas, Hinamori, his captain's duties, controlling Matsumoto, what to eat for lunch to who knows what else.

He was also aware of those who did good, his 'teammates' being some of them. But he rarely focused on the good, being drawn more towards the bad.

He didn't know why though. Maybe it drew his attention the most; maybe it angered him more then his actually enemy itself; or maybe he was more like the bad than he thought: angry, dark, cold, distant. Yup that sounded like him. It just didn't matter anymore, thinking about it didn't make a difference, didn't change his views or personality towards it.

At least there were some humans he enjoyed the company of. Well 'enjoyed' wasn't quite the right word, it's more that he could handle their presence better. Kurosaki Ichigo was a strong willed guy and he held respect for him, warrior wise; Orihime was a likeable person, people would be heartless not to like her; Ishida was quite, calm and collective, and he likes quite, calm and collective. Although the sewing he could do without; Chad was also quite, but he had more honour and respect than anyone he'd met. There were others as well, like Ichigo's sister, Karin, that he had only met recently.

But his temporary 'classmates', as he called them, were driving him insane. Keigo wouldn't stop his incessant rant about women, Mizuiro just irked him to no end for no apparent reason, and the damn girls wouldn't leave him alone (Tatsuki being an exception). Their constant whispering and giggles while looking his way made him bitter, not that he wasn't to begin with, but moreso now.

Maybe it was just the women here that made him upset and edgy then. It made perfect sense. They would constantly remind him that he was 'cute' or 'handsome'. Some had even dared to say he was 'sexy', and in public too. He would never live it down. Matsumoto would announce it to him numerous times a day.

"Hey there he is!"

Speaking of human women, here came his 'fanclub' now. He turned swiftly, only wishing he hadn't. There, about 50 feet away, were twenty screaming girls running his way, dust raising as high as the school building, was followed close behind them.

_'Not again...'_

It was barely fifteen minutes ago when he had lost the exact group of girls that now chased him. Actually it happened regularly. Like Sunday in the park, or Monday on the way to Orihime's, or Tuesday at the mall, or yesterday by the river, or today at noon...

He turned around again, about to bolt from his spot...only to find his escape blocked. Apparently, learning from their past experiences, they decided to split their group into two to surround him, concealing all possible exits. Oh how they've gotten smarter.

The sound of squealing only intensified when he tried to push them away. They obviously didn't get the hint. More hands shot out to caress his face, touch his hair, even squeeze his arms in delight at feeling the taught muscles.

"Oh do you have a girlfriend? I can be your girlfriend if you want!"

"No way! If anything I'll be his girlfriend!"

_'My ears...'_

Just when he thought all hope was lost, a familiar voice surprisingly reached his ears through the squeals. "Oh there you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Pushing her way through the massive crowd of swooning women, a small black haired girl finally got to the center.

"R-Rukia?" He hadn't thought that one of his own teammates, shinigami no less, was one of the many crazed women that were after him.

Seeing the puzzled look on the boys face she continued, "you promised to walk me home after school, remember? You can't just leave your girlfriend to walk all by herself you know."

To get her point across to the other women, she grabbed his hand and moved her body extremely close to his. The females didn't buy her little act and they only moved in forward some more, making little space in the open circle. She sighed in defeat and turned her head towards Hitsugaya, leaning closer...and closer...and closer. Finally their lips met in a quick kiss, lasting only a few seconds, but long enough for the few women that were still around to understand what was going on. In a grumbling, angry heap, they women left in oblvious disappointment.

They both watched the crowd dissipate slowly, until all that remained were the two teens, hands still held tightly. Rukia turned around to regard the young captain, only to realize their closeness. Her body was pressed against his, and she could feel the heat that flowed from his body, encompassing her. She didn't waste time as she jumped backwards, spacing herself a good distance away from him.

He noticed the pink tinge that graced her cheeks. Well it was more like tomato red, starting from her hairline and ending at the collar of her school uniform. In that instant he felt his own cheeks burn with embarrassment, and had no doubt that he probably reflected the same color on his skin.

Feeling that he wasn't about to speak, she thought it best to explain her actions, coughing a couple of times before doing so. "Uh-hm...please forgive me Hitsugaya-taichou...I had seen you in obvious despair and had thought that you would like...um...some help." It wasn't the best explanation she could of thought of, but it worked nonetheless as she saw him nod his head in understanding.

"It had worked, that's good enough."

"Yes it had," she hesitated for a moment before continuing, "are you off to go find Matsumoto? I think I had seen her with Orihime, most likely at her house already."

"Yes, there are some matters I would like to discuss with her."

"I see," he took note that she hesitated again, and he didn't wait to question.

"What is it Kuchiki!?"

"..."

"If there is nothing you have to say then I'm gone, I have more important things to do!" And his cold facade was back in place. Hitsugaya turned around to leave, hands in pocket, when he stopped at the sudden shout behind him.

"Wait!" She stepped forward a bit, hand reached out in his direction. Seeing what she was doing, she quickly withdrew her hand and placed it back by her side. "Um...I-I was heading that way to go see Ichigo...perhaps you would like some company then?"

He didn't turn his body back around to face her, instead he only moved his head to the side till she was visible to him. "Why? Don't tell me you're scared to walk alone? I had thought higher of you Kuchiki!" It wasn't that he was trying to specifically pick on the small girl, it was just the way he was with everyone.

She huffed in response, crossing her arms in annoyance. She knew he was a captain, and the thoughts she was thinking now would definitely get her in trouble, but he was just infuriating. Even as a captain he has no right to say such things! But she new she would get nowhere with anger when it came to him, that and she was frightened what her brother would think of her disrespect.

Calming herself with quick deep breathes she continued. "It's not _that_! It's just Ichigo and I have usually walked together after school to keep each other company. Without someone to talk to I find it boring! I was just wondering if you'd like the company-"

"Fine! Come if you want," he wasted enough time standing there waiting for her reply that he really didn't care much if she came or not anymore.

He didn't wait for a reaction or any feedback for that matter, he just turned his head back towards his destination and continued walking. It took her a few moments to understand what he told her, but when she did she didn't hesitate to follow, running to catch up to his retreating form.

They walked in silence for a while, neither one showing any sign of speaking. That's why it surprised him when her soft voice broke the current placidity between the two.

"There were so many."

"What?"

She turned her head slightly so she was able to look at him and ahead at the same time. "Women I mean. There were so many of them, around thirty or so wouldn't you say?"

"I guess"

"It happened to me once."

"What?"

"The situation you were in back there."

He almost laughed out loud as he thought of women chasing the small girl. But he quickly caught himself before even a twitch of his mouth could happen. As funny as it would be, it was also rather disturbing.

When she saw the slight struggle of his face, she continued. "When I had first gone to Ichigo's school, there were many guys that would constantly ask me if I had a boyfriend, or if I wanted to date one of them. It was annoying, and as many times as I told them to leave, they wouldn't stop."

Of coarse she was talking about guys. He mentally smacked himself at his own stupidity...it was unacceptable as a captain to let your mind wander into such stupid things, lest you be Shunsui-taichou. The man's mind wandered aimlessly nearly all the time.

"So Ichigo did the same thing to me as what I did to you," Rukia smiled in slight embarrassment from her previous action only moments ago. What she said wasn't the complete truth. Yes Ichigo had 'saved' her from the hoards of boys that refused to leave her alone, but he hadn't done it exactly the same way. Ichigo said something more along the lines like 'Hey dumb-asses leave my girlfriend alone or I'll beat you in this life and the next!'. Of coarse she had taken it differently and had called Ichigo many names while beating his head in the ground, till he forced her to listen to his reasons for saying what he did. But even then Ichigo didn't make any bodily contact with her, and it was daring for her to even do it to the tenth the division captain.

He didn't ask her any questions, he'd rather not for it would only keep reminding him on what had only happened moments ago. Instead he changed the subject quickly, asking her a question of his own, one that has been plaguing his mind almost all day.

"What is it about this world that fascinates you?" His tone was deep and rough, and she felt her body shudder in...excitement.

She dismissed the feeling instantly and focused her mind on the question. It shocked her, to say the least. She new he wouldn't want to talk much about his 'fanclub', and had thought he would only give her complete silence in return. Instead he had asked her one of his own questions, a rather 'out-of-the-blue' one to say to that.

She knotted her brows in thought. After a few seconds had past without a word, she answered his question. "Many things I suppose. I like the food they have here, having to choose from so much. Their clothes too. I enjoy the different styles they have, although there are some that are too odd for me. Then there's the books-er-magazines I guess they call them. I never like reading much, but I find myself constantly buying and reading them..."

'_She's gonna run her mouth dry if she doesn't shut-up!_' He had only meant it to be a simple _question_, one that would only require a simple _answer_. Preferably one that would satisfy him. Instead he was hearing meaningless things that ranged from candies and books to movies and clothes.

"That's not what I meant!" She stopped in mid-explanation of her fanatics with juice boxes at the sudden outburst, turning sideways to regard the young captain. '_Finally.' _"I meant what about the people and their ways, how they run their lives, how they treat themselves...this world."

"I see. I must admit that I was a bit shocked at how some humans were. There were some who were violent and rash, or selfish and unkind , and then there were those who were poor or too weak to fight. There were even humans who didn't care what happened. It maddened me." To say he was shocked was and understatement, he was downright surprised! He had thought that from her previous talk about the human realm and it's 'goodies', that she would be praising it even more. But the explaination he had recieved were quite similar to the thoughts he himself had. "But it is wrong of me to think of the human world as just that, for we too hold violence and rash, selflishness and unkindnesss, the poor and the weak in our own world."

"I hold similar thoughts as well. To me this world seems uncontrollable."

"But I still like it. The human world is not just filled with violence, but it is also filled with joy and happiness, and I know you can feel it so don't deny it!" She quickly threw in the last exclamation before he could counter her words, which she knew he was about to do. "Humans here experience love more than we shinigami can experience happiness. I find it warm and peaceful, easily overpowering any darkness. Take that young boy for instance."

She moved her hand at an angle, pointing across the street to where a young teenage boy was. Hitsuygaya's gaze followed down her arm and toward her current line of vision. A young boy of about 14 was running down the sidewalk, yelling at his friends to slow down as he tried to catch up. He hadn't watched what he was doing when a young little girl with a doll in her hand turned the corner, moving directly into his path. With a loud cry and wailing from the small girl, they both fell down to the ground with a 'thud'.

Hitsugaya half expected the boy to just up and leave without even an apology. He was, however, slightly surprised to see him suddenly whispering soft words of comfort to the crying girl, while petting her head lightly. He watched as the boy trudged over to the girl's doll which had been thrown quite a few feet away, pick it up, and then went back to the girl to place it in her hands. With a cry of delight and satisfaction, both the boy and child waved their goodbyes and then departed.

"He was in a hurry, and even when his friends had left him, he still stayed behind to help the girl. There is goodness in this world as much as there is goodness in ours. I guess that's what really attracted me here. Ichigo...his family...his friends, they are what keeps me from returning to this place. Plus, we were once among the living, saying bad things about them would be like saying bad things about ourselves," she finished with a wide grin on her face.

"You're to childish for your own good," he sighed. It was troubling him to be out 'speeched' by the girl beside him. It shouldn't have surprised him though, that she was able to conjure such deep and meaningful words. She was by the way part of the noble Kuchiki clan, despite her kidish behavior. "If you're trying to teach me the goodness in this world, then it's a waste of your time. I am very much aware of how 'good' people can be!"

"Oh but I wasn't trying to do anything Hitsugaya-taichou! I was merely stating my opinion! You were the one who asked me the question, remember?"

He glared at her from the corner of his eyes. Was she trying to get on his badside? Didn't matter, if she continued with her little remarks she'd soon be facing it.

"Plus, a captain such as yourself wouldn't need teaching! You probably know more stuff anyways!"

'_What!? Is she trying to suck-up to me now?_' He wasn't quite sure which one he preferred, her little comments or her sucking-up. Most likely neither.

Orihime's house was now in clear view of the two, just a few blocks away. It had gone surprisingly fast, the talking taking up most of the time. At the moment they didn't say a word, and his mind was finally able to think, only realizing later that he wished he didn't. He thought of something odd, something that would only bother his mind till he did something about it. So he did...

Suddenly grabbing her wrist, he pulled her aside and into a narrow, dark alley. She was surprised by his sudden action and only had enough time to let out an 'eep' when she was carelessly thrown against the cold, stone wall behind her. His hands slammed against the brick building beside her head, denying her any free movement, or escape.

"W-what are you doi-"

"Why exactly did you help me back there?"

"..."

"Answer me!"

She jumped slightly at his sudden outburst, feeling the rough texture of the building through her school uniform. "I-I told you. I had been in the same situation, and only felt a need to help..."

"Bullshit! Your not telling the truth!" She was startled, she had never heard of him swearing before, actually she had never heard of him losing his composure. But here he was, eyes narrowed and glued to her stiff form, anger clearly showing through. "I know your'e not dumb, and doing such a bold act as to protray such an intimate contact with a captain without permission is pretty much forbiddin as shinigamis! So why would you do something so daring!?"

"I had already told you, I am not lying!" She was now signing her death bed. She didn't care however, as she set her mouth in a thin line, rose her head as much as she could, and stared towards him. She was completely eye level to the young captain, and it made her realize how intense and captivating his eyes could be, whether they showed anger or completely nothing. Those intense, blue eyes...

The thought's that were running through Rukia's mind was nothing compared to what Hitsugaya was thinking. It was mind-bottling, how one minute he was angry and furious at her attitude towards him and then the next he was slowly drifting off into the two deep violet orbs of her. He was fascinated and completely immersed that he was barely aware of closing the already small gap between them. Moving his arms lower from the wall so they were on each side of her waist, her moved closer.

Rukia barely new what was happening, however she was aware that he was leaning closer to her. In surprise, more so for her reaction than his movement, she moved forwards some, eyes slowly drifting shut...

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**A/N: Was it wrong of me to leave it there? Lol, well I think there will be another chapty, and then it should be completed! This was only a little short story type thingy, but my mind is presently swamped with sooo many ideas for the two :D so trust me, there will be more! Also, if Hitsugaya and Rukia are really OOC, than please, please tell me...it would help out sooo much to know what I am doing wrong here!**

**I had also started typing out a Hiei/Sango ficlet, but my computer has decided to give me hell so it won't come till a while later! But for now I wouldn't mind your nice reviews or your nice flames--er--if they could be called nice :D I feel like I have more to say...oh well...**


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